Need your help, friends: I’m considering purchasing and DIY installing an OEM Lexus DashCam in my 2024 ES300h.(Any advice on this project is invited, of course) But more to the point, I have noticed that the 12Volt system shuts down quite early when parked and using the “Accessories” mode; e.g. waiting for my wife to come out of the hairdresser while I listen to the radio. Maybe I get 20 minutes of radio listening before “accessories” shuts it down. I don’t mind this minor inconvenience; I rarely use the accessories mode anyway. But because the OEM DashCam monitors the car 24/7, does not this surveillance feature consume 12Volt function while the car is parked? Any electronic wizards out there kind enough to shed some wisdom, please?

 

If it has a parking mode, it must be hardwired into both an ACC fuse and a BAT fuse. When BAT fuse does not have current (because car is off), then dashcam knows to go into parking mode. Parking mode typically either does 1 frame per X seconds, or only records when its built in gyro senses a movement. This is how it can stay on even while not being fed by the alternator.

 

@RocketMan295 Just curious what is leading you to chose the Lexus OEM Dashcam? Based on my research people are happier with aftermarket units. I'm considering the A229 Pro by VIOFO .

I also like the idea of installing an external battery pack to isolate the dashcam from the car's battery. Lithium iron phospate is the way to go but it's pricy.

 

You will stress out and run down your itsy bitsy 12v battery if you try to run your dash cam with the car's powertrain off. Unless you purchase a setup with an external battery. that's pricey and will take up room somewhere. And even then you only have the front angle.

 

Agree. Why do you need 24/7 monitoring?

 

For me I love my 24/7 camera footage all angles around the vehicle. Plus streamed to my phone, can monitor at any time.

It's like having full time security wherever you go. You can help someone or yourself, in the event something, anything, may occur.

Once you have it, you can never go back.

And that's just while parked.

While driving its extra great to have.

I once had a road rager get out of his car and approach my driver's door. i simply pointed at the camera on my pillar. he looks at it and walks back to his car. LOL

 

My ES350 was only 5 months old when it got hit in a parking lot. I wish I had a dash cam with parking mode.
@E46CT is yours a BlackVue?

 

I'm sure he's talking about Tesla sentry, which drains 3% of your range in 8 hours while parked. I agree that it is awesome for collisions though. I use a 2 cam setup with force detection to trigger recording during parking mode. It's no sentry, but it's good enough.

 

… for your excellent suggestions. To answer the OEM (preference) question here’s my simple answer: I’m stubborn to a fault. Appreciate your suggestion of a specific aftermarket unit! Please keep ‘em coming! Bottom line, this 2024 ES300h is a keeper, and any accessories I add to it should be satisfactory in the long run. Can’t leave a 55k investment unattended to the wiles of the public and Harvey DoorBangers of parking lots!

 

I'm not familiar with the OEM. Will it allow capture of side view for the door bangers?

 

OP be careful when using the "Accessory Mode" or tapping into a always live 12V on the 300h. We have a smaller battery to start the car compared to the 350. Other members have posted about a quick discharge of the 300h battery; which will not allow the car to start even if the Hybrid battery is full.

I don't have a DashCam, but I do have a Radar Detector tapped into the 12V ignition of the camera/mirror housing. It's very DIY friendly once cables are identified.

 

I doubt it, though a jolt to the car will activate the Dashcam into service. I have relegated my car to Parking Lot Siberia. What’s worse than Harvey Doorbanger himself is the soccer moms who allow their (future doorbanger) kids to exit their cars with great enthusiasm. Siberia remains the best “ding deterrent” for me!

 

How intrusive would it be to have OEM dash cam installed on a 2024 ES 350 UL I wonder. is the supporting hardware and software present or would it require surgery?

 

I have the viofo A129 plus duo hardwired. I'm in NYC and park on the street 90% of the time so parking mode is a must. It will drain your battery but you don't have to worry about your battery dying if you drive you car pretty frequently.

I have the dashcam and radar detector both hardwired and have no issues at start up if I drive once every 5 days. The steering wheel extension may stutter a second if it's been 7 days. If it's going to be 7+, I'd just unplug the radar detector.

 

I’ve owned 2 BlackVue camera systems over the past 9yrs. The technology and features are second to none (when they work). Both were 2ch (front/back) cameras paired to an external battery pack for parking mode. I would average 8hrs of parking mode with 2 cameras operating. 11-14 hours if your camera isn’t capturing many events. I love the stealth cylindrical design. I believe BlackVue cameras are the flagship of dashcams BUT I also have a suspicion that they are made with some sort of built-in obsolescence. The two very expensive cameras I’ve owned both eventually failed after roughly 3 years of use. The issues associated with their failures were attributed to hardware motherboard, etc.. I am now researching other brands before returning to BlackVue ;-(